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tzatziki sauce

11 years ago

I don't have any fresh mint to use. I'm thinking of adding a bit of mint jelly instead. Any thoughts?

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Comments (7)

liz_h
Original Author
11 years ago
I was sure this called for mint, but all the recipes I've checked online say dill, which I do have. :)
User
11 years ago
I prefer dill over mint in Tzatziki Sauce. It is even good if you are out of dill. Enough garlic and shredded cucumber makes for a tasty sauce.

~Ann
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Lars
11 years ago
I prefer dill also, but caterpillars have eaten half of my dill, fortunately starting with the tops, and so it seems to be growing back okay. Nothing seems to want to eat my mint, and so as long as I water it, it keeps growing, but it is very rootbound. I have the dill growing in partial shade at this time of year, but the mint is in full sun.

I would not substitute mint jelly in this sauce, as it is not supposed to be sweet. Are you serving it on lamb souvlaki? If so, you could also substitute fresh oregano (especially Greek oregano) for the mint or dill. I agree that enough garlic can make up for leaving out the herbs.

Lars
caliloo
11 years ago
Another voice for dill. Much better than mint in Tzatziki

Alexa
glaserberl
11 years ago
No dill or mint. Just Greek yogurt, shredded cucumber, lots of garlic, a bit of lemon juice and salt and pepper. Our neighbor growing up was from Greece and that is her version.
Katharina
Claire Buoyant
11 years ago
Here's the recipe I use with good results, but I rinse out the salt from the cukes. You may use Greek yogurt to eliminate the 'draining' step. I also use more cucumber-YMMV

Greek-Style Cucumber and Yogurt Dip with Dill Bon AppÃ¯Â¿Â½tit : August 2000

Tangy and refreshing, this dip is called tzatziki in Greek. Here, it's served with crisp baked pita wedges, but it also goes well with cruditÃ¯Â¿Â½s. Drain the yogurt a day before you plan to prepare the dip. And mix up a big batch of lemonade to pour throughout the picnic.
Yield: Makes 6 servings
ingredients
2 cups plain yogurt

1 English hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, grated
1 tablespoon coarse salt

1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1 garlic clove, minced
6 pita breads, cut horizontally in half, then cut into wedges
Olive oil
preparation

Line sieve with cheesecloth and place over medium bowl. Place yogurt in sieve. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to drain in refrigerator overnight.

Mix cucumber and 1 tablespoon salt in small bowl; cover and chill 3 hours.

Transfer drained yogurt to another bowl. Mix in sour cream, lemon juice, dill and garlic. Squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible from cucumber. Stir cucumber into yogurt. Season with pepper. Cover; chill at least 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Preheat oven to 400Ã¯Â¿Â½F. Place pita wedges on baking sheets. Brush with olive oil. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Cool. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Store pita airtight at room temperature.) Serve cucumber dip with baked pita wedges.

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Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Greek-Style-Cucumber-and-Yogurt-Dip-with-Dill-103752#ixzz1zxABAzSi
liz_h
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks everyone. I only made this once many years ago. Draining the yogurt never worked well, and the flavor didn't compare to a good restaurant version. Now that I can get good Greek Yogurt I decided to try this again.

Fat-free yogurt just tastes bad to me, but I may use a mix of regular and fat-free. That's what I do for breakfast.

Our schedule has gone crazy, so last night I added a pound of ground beef to my ground lamb, seasoned like gyro meat and fried it, breaking up as it cooked. I had pocket sandwiches like this at a fair once, and they were scrumptious. With any luck, we'll eat some of it tonight, along with the tzatziki

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